AisleDash

From the ever-helpful people at The Kitchen comes this list of five important considerations when planning your reception menu. Whether you're doing it yourself, or planning with a caterer, whether you're having a dessert buffet or a sit-down, three-course dinner, these factors will apply.

1. Seasonality. Foods that are in season are less expensive and easier to find. Seasonal dishes make sense to your guests, too: people prefer lighter fare in hot weather, comfort food in cold.

2. Variety. Even if you're having a dessert buffet, as are the writers at The Kitchen, you can still provide variety in taste, texture, temperature, and color. With a less focused menu comes opportunity for even greater variety.

Looking for a stunning wedding venue in the heart of England? Well then take a peek at The Ashes Country House, in Staffordshire.

Located in a beautiful Grade II listed house, The Ashes is a new wedding venue that is well worth considering if you're dreaming of a classic, English countryside wedding.

When you book your wedding at The Ashes you have exclusive use of The East Barn & The West Barn, which is licensed for civil weddings. The venue, which can accommodate up to 150 guests, is in an idyllic setting and perfect for both summer and winter weddings.

The cost of hiring this venue depends on the season and time of week. For a low-season, mid-week wedding prices start at £2450 and go up to £3950 for a high-season, Saturday wedding. Click here for detailed pricing.

The Ashes is holding a Wedding Open Day on Sunday 20 July from 11am to 3pm - it's a date worth bookmarking.

A cute way to keep the kids entertained at your wedding is to let them decorate a cake. No, not a real cake, of course, but a fake wedding cake from Twinkle Kids. The cake is made of white wool felt and comes in a kit form.

The kit includes 50 felt decorations in keeping with a specific 'theme'. For example, there is a Jack and the Beanstalk cake (see above), a Garden Cake, Space Cake, Ocean Cake and Heart Cake, so you could choose different designs for girls and boys. Priced at $59 per cake it doesn't come cheap but then what price can you put on keeping the kids occupied and happy?

The cake's dimension are 8" round and 6" tall and arrives in a white cake box tied with bakery twine.

If that strikes you as being just a bit too expensive, there are also the Baby Cakes, which are smaller and have only 20 decorations ( slightly less interesting designs as well) and is priced at $24.

It's a nifty idea and, as a reward for making a cake they can't actually eat, why not give them these Flower Pops - which they can gobble down after the activity, or take home as a little memento.

We love the simplicity of this idea. Thread a ribbon through the tag and tie one on each guest's wine glass (or water goblet). These heart-shaped tags could be used as a placecard in a standard sit-down meal, but would prove even more useful in a cocktail reception, where guests wander about, setting glasses down as they go. A guest would know at a glace which of the four glasses on the tiny table are theirs!

Because they're simply cardstock they can be gathered and tossed into the recycling bin at the end of the evening. And even the avid do-it-yourself-ers amongst us who crow about how easy these would be to make acknowledged that, at $2.95 for 50, it's probably not worth the effort. Unless you really, really want to.

Just a few miles west of downtown Fort Worth, the Botanic Gardens are a stunning and peaceful sanctuary that will transport you from "Cowtown" to utopia. The gardens' grounds cover more than 100 acres and throughout the calendar year plenty of cultural events are hosted there because of the unmatched atmosphere and stunning surroundings. And it's because of all this that the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens remains one of the most desired wedding locations in the DFW area. There are nine uniquely beautiful places within the Botanic Gardens to hold your wedding ceremony. From an intimate Fragrance Garden to the magical and most-chosen Japanese Garden, you can select whatever specific location suits your wedding guest-list and reception needs. With plenty of lodging available just minutes away in the downtown area, and other Fort Worth hot spots also just a short cab ride away (such as: Fort Worth Zoo, The Stockyards), your guests can enjoy all that the western half of the Metroplex has to offer. You will fall in love the moment you set eyes on the lush green gardens, but give yourselves plenty of time to plan -- the Gardens book up about a year in advance.

You've said your "I dos," you've been toasted by your best man and maid-of-honor and you've made your way around your reception to say a quick hello to each guest -- it's now time to cut the cake. Once you have your sugary slice in hand, do you sweetly offer it to your new husband/wife or do you get feisty and smear it onto his/her unsuspecting face? Although it is your wedding day, and you should be allowed to do things in your decided-upon way, etiquette suggests you steer clear of this (somewhat tacky) trend. If not in the name of keeping cake off your wedding dress, resist the urge for the sake of your guests. Your reception will be filled with friends and family of all ages, and the majority of them came to witness an outpouring of love -- not an outpouring of icing. If it's something you're set on, save it for your one-year anniversary, a much better time to avoid eating the cake -- after it's a year old.

Yesterday, Kristen wrote about Michelle Singletary's financial advice for engaged couples. (Speed recap: Singletary advises saving first and then spending on the wedding.) I'm not going to dispute the advice, but I am curious about what parts of a wedding are really expendable and what parts are not.

Singletary starts her essay by saying that one of the first recommendations she makes for cutting the budget is to cut the guest list. "It all started," she writes, "when someone on a tight budget asked: 'How do I find a place and feed 100 people?' I responded that the best solution is to stick to your budget and cut the guest list.

"Well, you would have thought I had attacked the very institution of family."

Commenters argued that weddings aren't about just the bride and groom, but about the joining of two families, and to cut the guest list would be to exclude family members from this celebration of -- well, of family.

And so I started thinking: how many of the guests on YOUR list are actually FAMILY? Not sorority sisters or those girls from high school who were LIKE sisters to you -- people who are related to you by blood or marriage. Is your family half the list? A quarter? Ninety percent? And could you cut the guest list to JUST family? Or will you find a way to pay for it all so that you can have your friends with you on your wedding day?

AisleDash wants to know.

A wedding does not have to be large to be elegant. A reception does not have to cost thousands to be gracious.

A popular way to treat your guests without bankrupting the two of you is a cocktail reception. Create a signature cocktail, offer a couple of other select drinks. Set food on several smaller tables throughout the room. Your guests will wander about the area, drink in one hand, trying out delectable nibbles with the other. Make sure to leave seating for older, frailer relatives, younger children, or your very pregnant cousin, but for the most part, guests will be on their feet.

Have music that suits the event. Live music -- a jazz trio, a harpist, a folk singer -- is a classy way to go. If you focus on quality, your guests will not be disappointed.

There is nothing quite like the perfume of dozens of fresh flowers and it's that gorgeous fragrance that can lend such a fresh and vibrant air to a wedding. But what if you don't want fresh flowers? Or what if you really, really want to save your bridal bouquet as a wedding keepsake, but despair of it fading and ending up looking like just another bunch of old, dusty, dried flowers.

Well, of course there are other options. Silk, is one. Wood, is another. Or how about clay? Yep. Clay. Sounds unlikely, we know, but they are really lovely and amazingly lifelike.

The company is DK Designs and they create the most gorgeous bouquets, hair accessories, cake decorations, favors and table centerpieces. We love their designs. Check out the gallery below for samples of their stunning work or visit their website (especially the real weddings) and Etsy shop for further viewing. Oh and while your're there, take a peek at their stationery designs too, they are just fabulous!

By now you have noticed that people love to celebrate an engagement. And you've also probably noticed that those celebrations often include alcohol. And you have ALSO no doubt noticed that when you are the bride (or groom!) everyone falls on themselves to make sure that you have a drink, all the time. And we're fairly sure that at LEAST once, you have woken up the morning after the celebration feeling like a truck has backed over your head.

You don't have to drink to excess to wind up with a hangover; even one or two glasses of wine can do you in. So how do you steer clear of the morning-after misery? Simple: drink lots of water, both before you start imbibing and in between alcoholic drinks. Eating something will also help, but steer clear of sugary foods; opt instead for carbs or protein, or better yet, both (there's a reason people traditionally serve cheese and crackers with wine). Finally, pace yourself; one drink an hour is about all your body can safely handle.

If you get home and realize that you've had one too many drinks, take more precautions: take two acetaminophen (Tylenol) and wash them down with a full eight ounces of water. And then keep hydrating through the next day, to get your body's balance back.

And the next time, ask for a soda or some iced tea instead of another Bellini. You'll thank yourself in the morning.

Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Uplifting, vibrant and full of hope and promise. It's the perfect time to get married. Make the most of pastel colours, fresh flowers and fun details.

• The most uplifting Spring colour palettes are pink, baby blue, lemon yellow and green. Choose your colours and then ensure that the theme runs right through your stationery, decorations, flowers, bridesmaids dresses, cake and even your favours.

• Introduce your colour accents in the details, such as these pretty lanterns from dotcom gift shop. Decorate your wedding car in gorgeous floral ribbon for a romantic getaway.
  

What's a signature drink? It's a fun and flirty mixed drink that you serve your guests. Invent your own, or go with one or two favorites, maybe re-named for the occasion.

If you design your own, you can even make sure that it conforms to your color scheme! Here is a site which gives you lots of options for most colors you can think of. Purple? No problem! Try some "lavender essence." Another click, and you're taken to a page of recipes. A little lavender essence, a little vodka, a few blueberries, and some Triple Sec, and you have yourself a "Gardenia" -- or whatever you choose to name it!

What a relaxing pre-wedding activity for you and your groom-to-be. You have several months: I'm sure you can find the perfect drink for you and your guests!

Your wedding is about you. And by that I mean the bride AND the groom. So of course you want it to be as personal as possible, and bring out your own tastes and personalities.

Naturally, you'll reflect this in your choice of flowers, colours, music, menu, favors, cake, dress, and venue.

And it doesn't stop there. There are so many little touches you can add to your day to make it unique. To make it you. Here's just one more way to stamp your wedding with a lovely personalised touch.

My Own Labels is a great service offering personalised labels for just about every aspect of your wedding reception. From wine bottle labels, to bottled water, coasters, favors, place cards, note cards, and CD labels.

You can go mad, if you like, or reign yourselves in and just choose one or two ideas. My favourites are the wedding CD's (you could record some of your favourite music as a favor gift for guests - keep it legal though, please) and the wine bottle labels. Very cool indeed!